Business owner no longer sure fire was arson; investigation continues

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington business owner said she thought someone set fire to her livelihood Thursday as she watched it burn to the ground. But as a joint task force of local, state and federal agencies investigates, she says the blaze may have been far less sinister.

As investigators search for what caused the inferno, Dorothy Noe, owner of Dorothy’s Ruffled Originals, sifted through what was left of her 35-year-old business.

“It was a tiny little fire. I kept thinking about Boy Scouts, how they build fires,” Noe said.

She said she first noticed flames coming from a hallway used for storage before the it spread out of control.

Noe said she is devastated about the loss but is focusing on moving forward.

“I just have confidence. I’m not letting it bother me. It doesn’t bother me,” she said.